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Senators have signaled an early willingness to spend state money on mowing down Hawaii’s invasive grasses as they consider a bevy of bills geared toward avoiding another deadly wildfire.

Three committees unanimously passed on Monday, which would direct funds for vegetation management to the departments of transportation and land and natural resources. The bill notes that neither department has historically had sufficient funding or personnel to properly deal with the hazard.

Invasive flora was swiftly identified as a key contributing factor in the Aug. 8 wildfires that killed 100 people and destroyed more than 2,200 buildings in Lahaina and Upcountry Maui, given the grasses’ propensity to ignite easily, regrow swiftly and dominate less-flammable native species.

It is estimated that invasive flora covers 25% of Hawaii, having taken over fallow land after the exit of plantations, and overgrowth under utility lines and along roadways has been highlighted as especially problematic.

DOT have been conducting roadside “emergency vegetation management” since the Aug. 8 wildfires, according to DOT Director Ed Sniffen.

That would continue with or without extra funding from the state but more money would “help us move forward faster,” he said.

Just how much money would be appropriated remains uncertain, according the bill’s lead introducer, Sen. Glenn Wakai.

The bill also has the support of Hawaiian Electric, which is facing dozens of lawsuits alleging the utility’s powerlines caused the fire.

Another measure aims to make clear landowners’ responsibilities in vegetation management and allows utility companies to manage hazardous overgrowth on private abutting parcels, such as trees touching utility lines.

Lawmakers are scheduled to consider on Thursday.

‘Fireshed Partnerships’

The Wildfire Prevention Working Group, one of six formed by the House after the Aug. 8 fires, highlighted the need for better cross-boundary collaboration.

“Fireshed partnerships” are one approach that would focus on landscape-level vegetation management, uniting public and private landowners.

is based off Hawaii’s watershed partnerships, which were started in 1991 with a focus on watershed conservation, and calls for DLNR, the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization to collaborate on the project. The widely supported measure passed its first committee hurdle last week, and now awaits a hearing in the Finance Committee.

The cost of standing up the program depends on how much money lawmakers are willing to pony up, according to UH wildland fire specialist Clay Trauernicht.

It could cost between $1 million and $1.5 million to have a coordinator and staff on each of the main islands and money to leverage federal funding for wildfire mitigation work, he said.

The approach to vegetation management has until now been piecemeal and has not considered standard practice, according to HWMO Co-Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett.

“We have long been part of creating and moving towards collaborative cross-boundary fuels management and it definitely is where Hawaii needs to go,” Pickett said.

HWMO has tested community-based, cross-boundary fire mitigation projects across Hawaii, ranging from grazing sheep in Waianae to building a fire break in Kawaihae on Big Island.

“Anything we do in that direction is progress,” Pickett said.

Wakai said in an interview that while a long list of bills remain in consideration, the responsibilities and funding would be best placed under a single entity going forward.

“There are so many different takes on how we want to mitigate future potential wildfire,” Wakai said. “My gut reaction is we could put them under the reestablished fire marshal.”

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.